Forest Service eliminates restrictive Roadless Rule
Citing overly restrictive imped- iments to the responsible manage- ment of nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, U.S. Sec- retary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that her department is lifting the 2001 Roadless Rule. "Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to com- mon-sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule," said Rollins. "This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests." Established by President Bill Clinton in 2001, the Roadless Rule was designed to protect undeveloped areas of national forests by pre- venting road building and generally prohibiting timber harvesting within "inventoried roadless areas." Conservation groups argue that the rule ensures undeveloped forests remain intact, providing habitat for wildlife, protecting healthy watersheds, and defending against climate change. The U.S. Forest Service, which falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), contends that the inability to access and manage those forests poses risks to the very health of habitat that the Roadless Rule was meant to protect. USDA estimates that 28 million acres, or nearly half, of the inven- toried roadless areas covered under the 2001 Roadless Rule are at high or very high risk of wildfire. "It is abundantly clear that prop- erly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and al - lows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land," Rollins said. The Roadless Rule has had out- sized impacts on states across Amer- ica's West, which host the vast ma- jority of the forests with inventoried roadless areas. This is especially true for Alaska, which is home to more than 25% of all the national forests under Roadless Rule protection. The 16.9-million-acre Tongass National Forest, which covers rough-
"Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources and halted economic opportunity, particularly in Alaska, where 92% of the Tongass National Forest was off-limits." — Congressman Nick Begich
critical to economic opportunities in Southeast Alaska surrounded by the Tongass National Forest." The Tongass also hosts deposits enriched with rare earths and oth- er minerals critical to the nation's economy and security, as well as significant potential for reservoirs of geological hydrogen, a fuel that only emits water vapor into the atmo- sphere when it is burned. Conservationists, however, say the lifting of the Roadless Rule is an "outrageous effort" to strip vital protections, which they believe could result in "rampant logging." The American Forest Resource Council, however, contends that the Roadless Rule is a 25-year-old relic that has failed to protect the nation's forests and communities from the growing threats of wildfire, insects, disease, and climate change. "We welcome urgent action to address the nation's wildfire crisis," said the trade association established to advocate for sustained yield timber harvests on public lands throughout the West. The arguments for and against the Roadless Rule in the Tongass and across America's West will likely be heard in greater detail in U.S. courts.
ly 80% of the Southeast Alaska Pan- handle, hosts 9.2 million acres of the inventoried roadless areas. Alaska's delegates to Washington have long argued that the Road- less Rule is a serious impediment to forest management and responsible timber harvesting, mining, and to the building of roads that would connect communities in Southeast Alaska and other areas of the state. Congressman Nick Begich (R-Alaska) says lifting the Roadless Rule is another "major victory for Alaska." "Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources and halted economic opportunity, particularly in Alaska, where 92% of the Tongass National Forest was off-limits," he said. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) says lifting the restrictions will put Alas- kans back in the driver's seat when it comes to forest management and resource development in Alaska. "Since 2001, this rule has hin- dered Alaskans' ability to responsibly harvest timber, develop minerals, connect communities, or build energy projects at lower costs — includ- ing renewable energy projects like hydropower, which are especially
— Shane Lasley, North of 60 Mining News
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The Alaska Miner
Summer 2025
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